In this episode, Erin gets ready to say goodbye to one of her long-term students. To Mary’s surprise, Erin didn’t cry during the episode, but trust that this is an emotional experience for Erin who bonded so deeply with her homestay daughter. Before we get to that experience and what Erin has planned for her...

In this episode, we steer you through the journey of applying to become a homestay host to an international student. It’s quite the process as you do need to be vetted to host students, especially underage students, but don’t let that scare you. Every school will have a different protocol, but there is an application...

In this episode, we are refreshed from our break and ready to tackle the fear of having a student in your home for the very first time. If one of your goals for the year is to become a homestay host, we help you dive into the unknown. What is it really like to have...

It’s the end of 2018… and like everyone else, Erin and Mary reflect on new beginnings, growth, health, and some soul-satisfying decisions that were made in the past year. We also awaken our appreciation for our relationships… to our family, each other, and of course, our students. We get tuned-in on how these partnerships are...

In this episode, we reveal our Christmas past, present and future with our international students. Mary shares her non-Christmas household, but reveals the little things she likes to do for the holidays. While Erin knows something will come together at the last minute for her family’s Christmas dinner. Listen for tips on what to do...

In this episode, we chat with Yoko, a Japanese student living with Erin. We examine some serious topics such as diversity and discrimination that she faces here in Canada and how it can be beneficial back home in Japan. We also touch on how she was able to participate in WE Day, a celebration of...

Behind The Mic

Mary Chan

Show Host & Producer

Mary is the founder of Organized Sound Productions, a podcast editing company and voice-over artist based in Victoria, BC, Canada and has been hosting international homestay students since 2012. When she’s not busy running after her 3 year old daughter, she can be found knitting, sewing, baking, cooking, or canning… basically making everything from scratch; everything is handmade and homemade with love.

Erin Eastman Paulson

Show Host & Web Minion

Erin works in graphic and web design, is a student supervisor at an elementary school, and has a background in communications based in Victoria, BC, Canada. She has been hosting international homestay students since 2017. Growing up, Erin had an international homestay sister throughout her high school experience. She’s a Mom of three awesome kids aged 11, 7 and 5. Her favourite time of day is dinner time when the family sits down together to talk about their day AND learn how to raise an eyebrow.